Resource · Checklist
The Vault
checklist.
Forty-seven items every founder should have ready before applying for capital. Ordered by priority. Free, printable, structured for the way real applications work.
Tier 1 · Foundational (apply for nothing without these)
- Legal entity name, formation date, jurisdiction
- Federal tax identifier (EIN, BN, equivalent)
- Industry classification code (NAICS or local equivalent)
- Registered business address
- Founders list with full names and roles
- Two years of revenue, even if zero
- Current headcount (FTE + part-time)
- One-paragraph company description (under 100 words)
- Three-bullet "what we do" plain-language description
Tier 2 · Financials (most applications)
- Last 12 months profit & loss
- Last 12 months balance sheet
- Cash on hand, current burn, current runway
- Capital raised to date, by round, with terms
- Total project cost (for grants)
- Use-of-funds breakdown by category and percentage
- Two-year financial projections (revenue, expenses, headcount)
- Unit economics: customer acquisition cost, lifetime value
Tier 3 · Project & narrative
- One-sentence project summary
- Five-bullet project description
- Outcomes statement: what changes when this is done
- Three measurable success metrics with baselines
- Project timeline by quarter
- Methodology: how the work happens
- Team biographies (50–100 words each)
- Two-sentence "why this team" justification
Tier 4 · Past performance
- List of prior grants received with year, amount, funder, outcome
- List of prior contracts (size, client, scope)
- Three reference letters (or commitments to obtain)
- Two case studies (one-page each)
- Press mentions and external validation
Tier 5 · Compliance & certifications
- Certificate of good standing
- Articles of incorporation
- Certificate of insurance (where applicable)
- Industry certifications (where applicable)
- Diversity certifications (MBE, WBE, DBE, where applicable)
- Latest tax filing
- Audited financials (for grants > $250K)
Tier 6 · Investor materials
- 10–12 slide pitch deck
- One-page investor summary
- Cap table with all securities
- SAFE / convertible note history
- Customer logos with permission to display
- Three-month metrics dashboard screenshot
- Forwardable intro paragraph (under 80 words)
Tier 7 · Operations
- Org chart, even if four people
- Equipment / asset inventory
- Key supplier and partner list
- Data privacy & security overview